Past TEDx Events
TEDx came to the University of Northern Iowa for the first time in 2015. 10 years later, we are excited to continue elevating ideas worth spreading. View the 2015 TEDxUNI presentations below.
2015 TEDx Event
Happy Brain: How to Overcome Our Neural Predispositions to Suffering
Amit Sood, MD
Twenty years ago, Dr. Amit Sood, a Professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic, came to the U.S. thinking he was coming to the Disneyland of the world. He expected everyone here to be very happy. What he saw surprised and shocked him. In this funny, fast-moving, and deeply insightful talk, Dr. Sood shares his journey over two decades and across two continents, finding a way to help us outsmart our neural predispositions to suffering. In the process, he takes us on a back-stage tour of the human brain and outlines the gist of a structured program he is taking globally to decrease stress and improve focus, resilience, and happiness.
How to Make Millennials Want to Work for You
Keevin O'Rourke
Are Millennials really lazy, self-centered narcissists whose biggest contribution to our culture is twerking? Should business leaders fear the influx of Millennials working beside them and for them? Keevin O’Rourke offers a perception-shifting take on what Millennials believe about work—and how to make the most of what his generation has to offer 21st-century employers. But first, Millennials want to know why they should work for you, rather than for themselves.
“Talks Excessively:” Making Meetings Safe for the Marginalized
Colice Sanders
Colice Sanders’ love for school helped her survive an abusive home, but she consistently received one demerit: “Talks excessively.” She shares her personal journey talking her way through and rising above personal obstacles. One that remains is enduring meetings. For a marginalized person, meetings can provoke intense self-doubt and discomfort. Colice teaches us how to invite the kind of talk that makes meetings safe for everyone: how to Stop, Drop, and Roll!
Improve Your Situation
Taylor Morris
Taylor Morris shares the story of taking on one of the world’s most dangerous jobs, and dealing with the life-altering aftermath in a talk that displays jaw-dropping courage, resilience, and ingenuity. Improve Your Situation was the Naval training motto that has fortified Morris as he adapts to a totally new normal and troubleshoots life with artificial limbs. This talk challenges us to improve our own situations, no matter how big or small.
Run From Comfort!
Hannah Shaffer
In a convenience- and comfort-seeking age, Hannah Shaffer’s passionate, funny talk runs contrary to conventional wisdom. She exhorts us to Run from Comfort, and explains how she beat her own chronic anxiety to take the TEDx stage and follow her own advice.
Don't Put Your Hand Down!
Dave Gould
Dave Gould interweaves his personal journey through higher education with his evolving view of “what sets students’ hair on fire”— what will help them forge creative and fulfilling lives, not just earn them a diploma. He presents unforgettable anecdotes suggesting how we can prepare young people to think big in the real world.